I’ve recently had trouble getting WordPress to update locally (Mac OSX Lion). It kept asking for FTP details. I tried changing permissions and ownership (I never ever use 777 as a rule, that’s a bad habit to get into).

Anyway, after a LOT of Googling I found a solution. Just add this to your wp-config.php file:define('FS_METHOD','direct');Note: Do not add this to a WordPress site installed on a server, as this setting can open up security vulnerabilities on poorly configured hosting environments. As a rule I only use this setting locally.